The Clean Water Act aims to make surface waters swimmable and fishable by:

• A. Setting maximum permissible amounts of water pollutants that can be discharged into waterways
• B. Providing subsidies for fishing
• C. Regulating pesticide use in agriculture
• D. Protecting air quality in urban areas

Answer: (A)

Protecting surface waters by controlling pollution at its source is what the Clean Water Act emphasizes. It does this by establishing maximum amounts of pollutants that may be discharged into waterways and by requiring permits that limit those discharges. Through the permit system, facilities must treat and reduce pollutants so the water leaving a site meets established limits, helping move surface waters toward being swimmable and fishable. This regulatory approach targets pollution inputs directly, unlike subsidies for fishing, pesticide-use regulation under a different law, or measures focused on air quality, which relate to other policies. Therefore, setting the maximum permissible pollutant discharges into waterways is the mechanism the Act uses to achieve its water-quality goals.